selfsame
Syllables: self·same/ˈsɛlfseɪm/US/ˈsɛlfˌseɪm/
selfsame adjective: chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same; the very same; the same not only in being similar but in being identical.
Adjective
selfsame (not comparable)
- Chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same; the very same; the same not only in being similar but in being identical.
- For both of you are Birds of ſelfe-ſame Feather.c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
- In my ſchoole dayes, vvhen I had loſt one ſhaft [i.e., arrow], / I ſhot his fellovv of the ſelfe-ſame flight / The ſelfe-ſame vvay, vvith more aduiſed vvatch / To finde the other foorth, and by aduentring both, / I oft found both. I vrge this child-hoode proofe, / Becauſe vvhat follovves, is pure...c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act...
- Synonyms:
- identical, indifferent, nondifferent, one and the same, self, undifferent, undifferentiated
Noun
selfsame (plural (rare) selfsames)
- Chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same person or thing.
- I preſent vvhat here is to you, vvherein you ſhall receive but the ſelfeſame by Number and by Meaſure; vvhich, before, you had by VVeight.1634, Fra[ncis] Quarles, “Mildreiados. To the Blessed Memory of that Faire Manuscript of Vertue and Unblemisht Honour, Mildred, La[dy] Luckyn; […]. To My Honourable and Deare Friend, Sr William...
- So ſtrictly is the Specific Nature preſerv'd in the Individuals of the ſame kind, vvho all equally partake of it, and are ſo very reſembling and uniform in it, that they ſeem but as ſo many Self-ſames, ſo many Reproductions of one thing, like the Image of the ſame Face repeated by a Multiplying...1701, John Norris, “The Reality of the Distinction Justifi’d, by Shewing that This is Not the Only State of Things, but that They Have an Ideal as Well as a Natural State”, in An Essay towards the...
Synonyms of selfsame
Antonyms
Forms of selfsame
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| alternative form | self same |
| alternative form | self-same |
| Noun | |
| plural (rare) | selfsames |
Origin of selfsame
PIE word *swé From Middle English self sam, self same, selve same (“the very same, selfsame”) [and other forms], from self (“that specific (person mentioned), herself, himself, itself, themselves”, pronoun) (from Old English self, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (“self”)) + sam, same (“(adjective) equal, identical; unchanging; referred to earlier, abovenamed, aforementioned; (adverb) again, repeatedly”) (from Old Norse samr (“same; agreeing, of one mind”), ultimately probably from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, together”)). The English word is analysable as self + same. Cognates * Danish selvsamme (“identical, selfsame”) * Old High German selbsama (“identical, selfsame”)
Words formed from selfsame
Questions about selfsame
- What does selfsame mean?
- Selfsame means chiefly preceded by the: precisely the same; the very same; the same not only in being similar but in being identical.
- What part of speech is selfsame?
- Selfsame can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce selfsame?
- Selfsame is pronounced /ˈsɛlfseɪm/ (UK).
Words near selfsame in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: selfsame (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “selfsame.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/selfsame. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.